Brigitte Bardot, Nana Mouskouri and Big Country are among the stars of a successful move to make Universal's back catalogue available online.

More than 250,000 downloads have been sold since the entertainment firm made 3,000 deleted tracks available online.

Bardot's interpretation of the Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg hit, Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus was among the top five downloaded tracks.

The most popular track was Gun's 1994 hit Word Up.

MOST POPULAR TRACKS

1. Gun - Word Up

2. Eddie & the Hot Rods - Do Anything You Wanna Do

3. Brigitte Bardot - Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus

4. Freak Power - Turn On Tune In Cop Out

5. Cast - Guiding Star

The most popular act, based on the total number of tracks sold, were French rock band Noir Desir.

Noir Desir's singer Bertrand Cantat is currently in jail after beating his actress girlfriend to death in Lithuania in 2003.

The most popular album was Big Country's 1984 release Steeltown but Nana Mouskouri's Christmas album, Les Plus Beaux NoŽls Du Monde also did well, despite being available only after Christmas.

Universal began the download service in February. Selling previously deleted music online has become financially viable because of the relatively low costs involved.

"We are now able to respond to and quantify the appetite for more eclectic, diverse recordings from the past," said Olivier Robert-Murphy, vice president of strategic marketing at Universal Music's international arm.

Songs by Maurice Chevalier, Peter Kraus, The Orb and Charles Trenet will be among the next batch to be made available in late November.

Universal eventually hopes to re-release 100,000 songs online, many of which were only previously released on vinyl LPs.